Competition
The Commerce Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network applies the competition rules of the Velocity Interoperability Network. The rules protect competition between the undertakings that supply goods and services within the Network so that members' staff, citizens and businesses benefit from fair prices, choice and innovation. They apply to every undertaking that trades within the Network, whatever its size and wherever it is established.
Before establishment there were no common competition rules within the Network; each member organisation applied its own procurement and trading standards. The rules published on 6 September 2026 apply from that date. Agreements and arrangements entered into before that date are not unlawful for that reason alone, but undertakings must bring them into compliance by 6 March 2027, and the Department will consider requests for guidance on how to do so.
The competition rules. The rules fall into four parts.
- Anti-competitive agreements
- Agreements between undertakings, decisions of associations of undertakings and concerted practices that have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the Network are prohibited. This includes agreements to fix prices, to share markets or customers, to limit output and to rig bids.
- Abuse of a dominant position
- An undertaking that holds a dominant position in the supply of goods or services within the Network, or in a substantial part of it, may not abuse that position. Abuse includes charging unfair prices, limiting supply to the prejudice of customers, applying dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions and tying the supply of one product to another.
- Merger control
- A merger between undertakings that meets either notification threshold must be notified to the Department and may not be completed until the Department has cleared it. The Department may clear a merger, clear it subject to conditions, or prohibit it where it would substantially lessen competition within the Network.
- Market studies
- The Department may study any market within the Network in which it has reason to believe competition is not working well, and may recommend changes to rules, licences or the conduct of undertakings. The first market study, into the supply of pitches at licensed markets, will be announced in the Newsroom.
Merger notification. A merger is the bringing of two or more undertakings, or parts of undertakings, under common ownership or control. A merger must be notified to the Department before completion where it meets either of the thresholds below. Completing a notifiable merger without clearance is a breach of the rules and may result in a penalty and an order to unwind the merger.
| Threshold | Test |
|---|---|
| Share of supply | The undertakings concerned would together supply or acquire 25 per cent or more of goods or services of a description within the Network, or in a substantial part of it. |
| Turnover | The combined turnover of the undertakings concerned within the Network in the preceding financial year exceeded 50,000,000 credits. |
| Either threshold | A merger that meets either threshold must be notified before completion. A merger below both thresholds may be notified voluntarily. |
Notifications are made by writing to the Department with a description of the undertakings, the transaction and the markets affected. The notification fee, which depends on the combined turnover of the undertakings, is set out on the Fees and Charges page. The Department reviews notified mergers to the timetable below.
| Stage | Period | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Notification | Day 0 | The Department confirms within five working days whether the notification is complete. The review period runs from the date of a complete notification. |
| First phase review | 25 working days | The Department decides whether the merger may substantially lessen competition within the Network. Most notified mergers are cleared at this stage. |
| Second phase review | 90 working days | Detailed review of a merger referred from the first phase, including market testing with customers and competitors. The period may be extended once, by up to 20 working days, with the consent of the parties. |
| Decision | End of review | Clearance, clearance subject to conditions accepted by the parties, or prohibition. Decisions are published in the Newsroom with confidential information removed. |
Making a complaint. Any person, including a competitor, a customer, a market operator or a member organisation, may complain to the Department about conduct they believe breaches the competition rules. There is no fee for making a complaint. The steps below describe how a complaint is handled.
Step 1: Set out the conduct you are complaining about
Describe the undertakings involved, what they have done or agreed, when and where, and the effect on you or on competition. Attach any documents, correspondence or prices that support the complaint.
Step 2: Send the complaint to the Department
Complaints are made by email to the Department. You may ask that your identity be withheld from the undertakings complained of; the Department will respect that request unless disclosure is unavoidable for an investigation to proceed.
Step 3: Acknowledgement and initial assessment
Complaints are acknowledged within five working days. The Department then assesses whether the conduct described could breach the competition rules and whether an investigation is the best use of its resources.
Step 4: Decision on investigation
Within 40 working days of receiving the complaint the Department decides whether to open an investigation, to resolve the matter informally, or to close the complaint. The complainant is told the decision and the reasons.
Step 5: Investigation and outcome
An investigation may involve requests for information, interviews and inspections. It ends with a finding of no breach, with commitments offered by the undertakings, or with a decision that the rules were breached, which may carry a financial penalty and directions to end the conduct.
Casework at establishment. Complaints and notifications received under interim arrangements during the transition period were carried into the Department's casework on 6 September 2026. The figures below record the position at establishment; the subjects of the complaints received are set out on the Statistics page.
- 7
- Merger notifications received under interim arrangements and carried into the Department's casework
- 23
- Complaints of anti-competitive conduct received during the transition period
- 3
- Investigations opened on the basis of complaints received during the transition
- 40
- Working days within which the Department decides whether to investigate a complaint
Notifications, complaints and requests for guidance may be sent to contact@commerce.gov.vin. Decisions of the Department are published in the Newsroom. For the rules that apply at licensed markets, including the allocation of pitches by market operators, see Markets; for answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.